


safe and sound (interlude)

by Izzi456



Series: Hunger Games AU [2]
Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Hunger Games Setting, F/F, Hunger Games, Jeremiah Danvers Lives, Maggie POV, More stuff, One-Shots, extra content, extra scenes, woooooo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-04
Updated: 2018-05-30
Packaged: 2019-04-18 03:35:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,545
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14204175
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Izzi456/pseuds/Izzi456
Summary: Bonus content for my Hunger Games AU "against all odds" including: Scenes from Maggie's POV, and extra scenes. If you want to skip this, I understand, but please read Chapter 4 :)aka: some bonus content like 3 people asked for.





	1. faking it

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus scene from Chapter 6 (starting right after the conversation Alex and Maggie had after Maggie’s interview) and Alex’s interview all from Maggie’s point of view.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hello :) I’m back. You can’t get rid of me, apparently.
> 
> I had this scene and the next one-shot I’m going to post from Maggie’s POV just sitting on my computer. This one-shot comes from when I thought I was going to alternate between Alex and Maggie’s POV for the entire fic but nixed that idea. But I saved this scene (and another one) so I thought hey, maybe someone will want to read it.
> 
> And then I thought…I love these guys. And this universe. (No matter how painful it is.) And I worked for like a year on that fic, but I could write more stuff, if you want. Just let me know :)
> 
> enjoy :)

Maggie stalked down the hall away from Danvers, her fist clenched.

She pushed the door open and leaned against the wall outside of the backstage area.

And she waited.

A few minutes later, she heard the voice that sent shivers down her spine in a bad way. A very bad way. But she wasn’t afraid of him.

So as soon as he passed her, of course not noticing anyone but himself, Maggie grabbed him by the shirt and pushed him backwards until he hit the wall.

Max Lord had a good six inches on her, but Maggie had her heels on and now they were almost face to face.

“What did you say to her?”

Lord smiled as though he wasn’t afraid of her either, but Maggie knew he was. Maggie had warned him before, not to test her. And he’d backed down.

“Who?” he asked innocently.

“You know who I’m talking about. What the hell did you say to her?” Maggie asked again, her voice venom.

Maggie didn’t believe for a second that ‘it was nothing, really, just stupid stuff’ that Lord had said to Danvers. Lord had said enough ‘just stupid stuff’ to Maggie that she knew it was bad. 

“You’re going to have to be more specific.”

Maggie shoved him, his head bobbing back to hit the wall again. He flinched the tiniest bit and Maggie knew it hurt him more than he let on.

It was people like him that made people like Danvers think that they were ‘high and mighty,’ as she had put it. That they were Careers, they had no feelings, they were killing machines, they’d been bred for the Games, nothing more.

Maggie stayed silent and Lord’s eyes widened dramatically as though he had just figured out who she was talking about.

“Oh, you mean Danvers. Well, I can’t say I remember _exactly_ what I said, but…why do you care, anyway?” he asked, tilting his head as if trying to read her, trying to figure her out, and Maggie kept her face expressionless.

“Because I told you not to mess with me. And whatever you said to her…” Maggie trailed off, trying to think of how to continue. She had to be careful to give him nothing to use against her in the arena, and her pinning him against a wall like this, showing any sort of emotion, was toeing the line. 

But it was something about Danvers, something about her that intrigued Maggie.

The smile Lord had on his face didn’t disappear, and Maggie immediately knew that this was a bad idea.

“It’s not because of me that she thinks that about you,” he said, as if reading her mind. “You’re not any better because you don’t want to be one of us. You’re a Career, Sawyer, and that’s all she’s going to see you as. You know that, right?”

Maggie clenched her jaw and tightened her grip on his shirt. 

And that’s when a security guard came into the hall and demanded Maggie let go of Lord. The guard knew her, so he didn’t report her but warned her to stay away from Lord or else he’d have to.

Maggie reluctantly let Lord go and he gave her a wink over his shoulder that made Maggie want to beat the shit out of him.

She reminded herself to save it for the arena.

Maggie wandered around the hall for a while, not wanting to go into the backstage area and avoiding her mentor as well.

She found a room with a TV in it and turned it on to watch the rest of the interviews, assessing each of the Tributes—as she’d been trained to do—and trying to gain a sense of the angles they were shooting for. The sponsors were all these interviews were for. They didn’t usually reveal anything else about the Tributes; training did that.

Eventually, Danvers went up on stage.

Caesar mentioned her dress, and Maggie wasn’t surprised. Maggie got the feeling Danvers wasn’t used to wearing dresses. But she looked, well…gorgeous.

That was the only coherent thought her brain could come up with when she’d seen Danvers standing off to the side of the stage. Maggie had looked up and she’d sort of froze and she’d stared maybe a second too long and all she could think was—gorgeous. 

Danvers’ cheeks had turned almost the color of her dress when Maggie had looked her up and down in it after the interview. Which made Maggie think that the Danvers she’d met in the training room was not the same girl she’d met again backstage.

How could someone who had acted the way Danvers had in the training room be the same person who was fumbling and mumbling around her an hour or so ago? 

Initially, Maggie had thought she’d read her wrong, that the Danvers she’d constructed in her head from her Reaping tape and the training session wasn’t enough. Because when Danvers had asked her to be her partner, to work with her, something about the way she did seemed like she was…asking her out, or something. Not _actually_ asking her out, of course. But it was sort of like Danvers had been saying, ‘Hey, let’s maybe not kill each other until we absolutely have to.’ And that was the closest they could get to a date, in this situation.

Danvers had been nervous; her face had fallen when Maggie had said no. 

Like she’d been hurt when Maggie said no.

But Danvers was playing her. She was smart.

Maggie was _definitely_ not counting her out. She never had. She’d just been testing her that day in training, sizing her up, because she knew she’d have to watch out for her. She’d shown her what it was like, how it felt, to assume things about people they couldn’t control.

It had worked. Sort of.

Maggie almost flinched in the chair, snapping herself out of her thoughts, as Caesar said the word ‘sister.’ He was asking Danvers about her sister. And about why she’d volunteered for her.

Maggie was glad no one else was in the room.

“I love her,” Danvers said like it was the most obvious answer to the question. “There was…it was like there was no decision to make.”

And that…that was one of the many reasons why Danvers, if she knew anything about Maggie, wouldn’t like her. 

Maggie had been hoping to throw off Caesar by saying Danvers was worthy competition. She had sort of been apologizing to Danvers, as well, by saying that. 

But then Danvers said it back.

“…Maggie’s certainly a worthy competitor, but—”

And Caesar jumped on it. He’d always been one to notice things, to pick at strings. He’d been at this for years, he had to know that the Tributes planned everything they said during interviews but tried to make their angles subtle so that the audience would be none the wiser.

But what surprised Maggie was Danvers’ response to Caesar’s question.

“I don’t hate her. Why…why would I?”

What was she doing, by saying that? What was she trying to do? Throw Caesar off? Because she definitely was.

“Why would you hate her? Besides the fact that she’s your competition?”

“Well, yeah, but she’s…I don’t know. She’s tough and certainly…” Danvers didn’t finish the sentence, and she looked like she was trying to think of what to say.

And the camera was on Danvers’s face as Caesar asked, “She’s also very pretty, isn’t she?”

Pretty. Is that all he cared about? But…Caesar was good at this. He noticed things. And it seemed he’d picked up on something.

Danvers’ initial response was surprise, confusion, and then the red-tinged cheeks came back. Maggie fought a smile and crossed her arms as she leaned back in the chair.

Because it didn’t make sense.

Because as far as Maggie knew, she’d insulted Danvers. Then, she’d rejected her. But Danvers…liked her? Thought she was pretty? ( _Very_ pretty?)

But then…

“She’s…she’s from 1,” Danvers said quickly. “So…I was going to say that she’s tough and smart and—”

Maggie turned the television off. 

Of course.

She was tough, smart, pretty…but she was from 1. 

Maggie knew she was like them in a lot of ways, no matter how hard she tried not to be. She knew that her first instinct was to think of everyone as competitors, and nothing else.

But Danvers was different. Danvers was the only one that seemed to be on her level—from the training probably—but not like a Career at all.

They’d probably be good, as a team.

But Maggie didn’t want to be on any sort of team. Not with Lord, not with Malverne, not with anybody. She worked better alone.

Not because she was a Career. She just…worked better alone. It was better, for her. She was used to it. 

Maggie slowly stood up and started pacing around the room. 

Danvers was definitely faking it. She had to be. Her and her mentor had worked something out, were trying to present her as both worthy competition _and_ hopelessly in love, or something. Which was a weird angle. It hadn’t been done before, that Maggie knew of. 

Or maybe she’d messed up. She’d slipped. She actually liked Maggie.

But…no. All the evidence pointed to the opposite. And besides, why would she?

As much as Maggie didn’t want her to, she thought that Maggie was the embodiment of a Career, in every way.

Now, Danvers had connected them besides their shared score. Had made the audience believe she liked her.

Maggie’s eyes widened as she realized that Danvers had given Lord something to work with, had given _all_ the Tributes something to work with. To use against her. Against both of them.

And Maggie just desperately hoped that Danvers knew what she was doing, because Maggie didn’t have a clue.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> let me know either in comments or my ask box if you liked any of the ideas I had (https://bit.ly/2ILkJpJ) or if you have something you wanna see or if this is a bad idea


	2. spark (Part I)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A bonus scene set at the very beginning of Chapter 28 from Maggie's point of view. At this point, Maggie thinks Alex and Winn are dead...until a mysterious woman (ooooh, I wOnDeR wHo iT cOuLd bE) tells her otherwise.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going back and forth for awhile about including this at the beginning of Chapter 28 of the original fic, but ultimately decided not to. But hey, you can read it now :)
> 
> Part II will be The Reunion from maggie's pov that a lot of you wanted :)

“There are some who believe something happened during that blackout and that it’s unfair to only be told of, but not shown, Alex and Winn’s deaths. They also believe that because of that, your victory shouldn’t count. What would you say to those who don’t think you deserve the win?”

Maggie stared at Caesar for a moment, wondering why he was saving _this_ question for last.

She was done.

With him, with all of them.

She didn’t care anymore. Not that she ever really cared, anyway.

She looked down at her hands joined together on her lap.

They were smooth now, and all the dirt and grime that had been caked underneath her fingernails for weeks had disappeared.

Her dress was blindingly white, to represent victory.

Maggie felt anything but victorious.

She looked up again and kept her muscles unclenched, untensed.

She gave him a little shrug.

“Nothing,” she said.

Nothing.

She had nothing. Absolutely nothing.

She’d lost her family, but she’d learned not to cry about that a long time ago. She’d cried about it enough. She’d also lost her sister, and the only two other people who saw her at her worst and still, for some reason, saw something in her, saw enough to care about her.

She’d been giving Caesar one- or two-word answers during the entire interview, and once she’d even managed a whole sentence. Her mentor had told her to wave, to smile, to be happy that she’d won.

Maggie had almost slapped her.

Luckily, her mentor had been a little distracted by all the photographers and job offers to care much about Maggie. Maggie had won, and she’d been her mentor, and nothing could change that.

Maggie was just waiting until she didn’t have to deal with sitting in front of an audience of Capitol citizens wearing ridiculous garb and waiting for her to celebrate her win. Until she didn’t have to deal with what it felt like to watch a two-hour long video of herself and the girl she loved and the boy who had also crept his way into her heart.

Both of them were gone.

They were gone, erased, like almost all her scars that had been painted on her face, her arms, her legs. But she supposed it was the invisible ones that would be there forever.

Maggie didn’t listen to Caesar’s sign-off and barely felt him help her out of the chair and down the steps off to the right of the stage.

Maggie immediately wanted to run away from the people who were supposed to get her ready for the party—her celebration party—later, but her high heels made it a little difficult to do that.

She did manage to evade a group of people who looked like they wanted to talk to her, trying to ignore how her head was pounding, how her body still felt numb. She knew that the doctors who had been frantically working on her for the past two days had been insistent on bringing her back to monitor her diet, exercise regime, and overall health to ensure that she’d be back to ‘pristine shape’ in time for the Victory Tour around the Districts.

She also knew that the emptiness she felt right now that had no intention of going away anytime soon had nothing to do with all of that.

Maggie had a lot of practice shutting herself down, not allowing herself to feel anything.

It helped when she thought about the fact that the Capitol was going to parade her around to all the Districts. To all the families of those kids she’d killed.

It helped when she felt like crying or screaming or breaking something when someone would ask if she was okay.

It helped as she was forced to watch image after image of Alex smiling and looking at her like she was the most beautiful thing Alex had ever seen and touching her like she would break. Maggie had never been told she was beautiful before and had never considered that she could be until Alex had said it and it was impossible, somehow, not to believe her even when every part of Maggie was telling her not to.

Maggie clenched her jaw as she bumped her way past a few more people who thought she was quite a spectacle to gawk at, quite a talking point for their dinner table conversations.

Beautiful, but broken.

Maggie thought about snapping the heels off both her shoes to navigate the throng of people more easily as she continued down the hall.

The backstage area was a maze of makeup rooms and props and lighting fixtures and too many higher-ups yelling at someone to fix something.

Maggie was almost out, almost free, almost knew exactly how to get to where she wanted to go before she felt someone grab her bicep and pull her towards them.

Maggie’s first instinct was to twist her arm free and slam whoever it was onto the ground, but she didn’t get a chance to.

“They’re alive. Do not react,” a voice whispered into her ear.

The woman’s fingers tightened around her arm to keep up their pace even when Maggie was sure she was about to crumple to the ground.

Maggie’s heart started to pound in her chest and she wanted to turn her head to see who was talking to her, but the woman continued hastily with, “They’re both alive, she’s coming to get you, do not react.”

Maggie was bumped yet again, and the woman let go as quickly as she’d latched on.

Maggie felt the ghost of her grip and wondered what had just happened, or if it had even happened.

But Maggie managed to turn around and saw the woman—Maggie was positive it was that one—give her a little nod and a soft smile as if to confirm what she’d told her.

And then the woman was gone. Lost in the chaos.

Maggie was stuck in place, but the woman’s words echoed over and over and over in her head.

_‘They’re both alive, she’s coming to get you, do not react.’_

Maggie felt like crying, but not for the reasons she had ten seconds ago.

A part of her was telling her not to trust that woman. Her words meant nothing. It was impossible.

But from the glimpse Maggie had caught, the woman didn’t seem like the rest of the Capitol citizens. She didn’t have the ridiculous outfits or the red and purple tinted skin, only a thin line of sparkling gold eyeliner. She was _almost_ like them—just enough to blend in, just enough to make them believe she was.

And a tiny, almost imperceptible spark of hope flickered in Maggie’s chest and she couldn’t stop it if she tried.

For once, Maggie was glad that she was able to pretend like nothing was happening. She had built her walls up high enough and strong enough around her that no one, save a select few, could see through them, let alone tear them down.

Maggie could see Alex again. There was a small chance that she could see Alex again.

Someone was saying her name.

She didn’t care.

Someone was in front of her, a man she recognized that had helped her with her makeup earlier. He was asking her to follow him. He was leading her to the area she was supposed to go to.

She let him.

He looked over at her once and asked if she was okay.

Maggie nodded, even managing a smile when he seemed skeptical before letting it disappear.

_‘Do not react.’_

_That_ she could do. She could play the part. She could tamp down her hope that they were alive because she knew that it was dangerous to hope, to believe. Believing that woman unconditionally meant that there was a chance of her breaking beyond repair if it wasn’t true. But she could also keep that spark burning, just in case, to keep herself sane.

She could do all of this and no one would know.

Maggie focused on walking, on keeping her face blank, on keeping her sense of surroundings as they went down various corridors, on keeping herself upright.

Because not even a minute ago, she’d felt empty.

Not even a minute ago, she’d been alone.

Not even a minute ago, she’d had nothing.

But now?

Now, she could have everything again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm making a list of possible other bonus/maggie's pov scenes you all so kindly requested. but PLEASE feel free to tell me what else you guys want me to write. i would love that. HERE IS THE LIST: https://bit.ly/2ILkJpJ
> 
> i can always jump around and go back and do some in between stuff, but I just wanted to post this one-shot 'cause I don't have time to write a lot at the moment


	3. spark (Part II)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Basically most of Chapter 28 from Maggie's point of view, starting off at the party  
> AKA: The Reunion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry, this took longer than i thought it would (and it's longer than I thought it would be, but i'm honestly not that surprised). i didn't have time to write much of anything with my crazy semester, but i'm done now and back in the game. and a lot of you wanted this (this was probably my most requested scene to write from Maggie's pov...which actually makes me nervous to post this, but uh whatever too late now i guess) so...here you go :)

It was too loud in there. 

The bass of the track that was playing was like a continuous drum pounding in Maggie’s chest and it was mixing with the chatter of the people around her and all Maggie could hear was their laughter, all she could see were their smiles, and all she could think in the midst of all this was: _I need to find that woman._

That woman was her only hope at seeing Alex again…if Alex was even alive.

It felt like the hardest thing Maggie had to do—keeping this war inside herself on whether or not to get her hopes up and believe that yes, Alex was alive, while also thinking, no, how could she be?

The party had started about two hours ago, so the room was already packed to the rim with people. A steady stream of them would come up to Maggie and congratulate her, but she would offer them no meaningful response, and they’d leave her alone pretty quick.

Her dress was a bit uncomfortable and the heels were even more so. But she was hungry, which gave her something to do besides focusing on how she was currently being parading as the Capitol’s champion. She hung out by the snack table and kept placing the small cut up food on her plate, eating slowly and scanning her eyes around the room.

There were so many unanswerable questions she needed answered.

How could Alex and Winn be alive?

Where were they?

Who were they with?

The woman had said that only Alex was coming to get her.

Were Alex and Winn together?

And where was Alex coming from? Was it just her? Or did they have people?

Maggie hoped to God it wasn’t just Alex. If she’d somehow escaped the Capitol and she came back here alone?

She was recognizable enough that they’d probably shoot her on sight. There were too many Capitol soldiers with guns standing against the walls, alert—eighteen. Maggie had counted. Just in case.

And when was Alex coming to get her? Tonight?

What would they do if she came? Where would they go?

Someone must’ve taken Alex and Winn out of the arena. Or maybe that woman was with the Capitol, and the Capitol had taken them out. But why? It would make no sense to take them out, have Maggie win, and then have a woman tell her they were alive. 

The Capitol did love to mess with people. And Maggie was pretty close to falling apart but also keeping herself from doing it, making her feel like she was going crazy. So maybe their tactics were working.

Coming up with more and more questions to preoccupy her mind was easy…because she had absolutely no idea what was going on. Or if anything was going on.

But then there were the questions that kept poking at her conscience, threatening to outweigh all the others:

What if Alex and Winn weren’t alive? What if Alex didn’t come to get her? What if that woman was lying and everything came crashing down again?

Maggie’s grip tightened on her cup, and she dipped her head, trying to stop her thoughts from spiraling.

She tried to remember what had happened that night, before everything had went to shit.

She’d been trying so hard to forget. But if Alex was alive, then she needed to let herself remember anything that might help her know what had happened before they’d put her to sleep.

Maggie remembered, with a sharp pang in her chest, telling Alex she loved her.

She remembered those words coming out of Alex’s mouth first. Like Alex hadn’t even taken a minute to think about it. Alex had just said them as if she was so sure and she wanted Maggie to know and she couldn’t wait another second to do it because she’d maybe, possibly, been in love with her for a while.

And Maggie remembered being so terrified, hearing her say it. And at the thought that Alex was in love with her.

Because it had to be wrong. It wasn’t _possible_.

But Alex was saying those words, and she meant it because Alex didn’t say things she didn’t mean unless she was trying to protect other people, even if it meant being unhappy.

And it was only when Alex had started to get a little nervous, a little scared herself, and rambled like she always did that Maggie realized she was terrified because she wanted to say it back. She didn’t have to think about it, and that scared her. Because it was Alex that always jumped without thinking, and Maggie needed time.

She always needed time to calculate, to make the logical decision. But she didn’t, right then. She didn’t want to. She didn’t _need_ to.

That was how she knew that she loved Alex.

Alex had leaped, and Maggie had caught her.

Maggie had still been a little nervous because she knew that Alex loved harder than anyone and she would never be able to match her, but she could try. She might need more time for that, but she could try. Alex was worth trying for.

Maggie had said it because she meant it with everything she had, and also because if she didn’t say it, then Alex would never know. Alex would back up and take it all back if she thought she made a mistake even if she didn’t _want_ to take it back. All to protect herself, too. 

And Maggie had been wrapped up in their bubble, her focus solely on the flash of disbelief on Alex’s face before it was replaced by that relieved smile when Maggie had told her. That was the image of Alex that Maggie had in her mind, and she’d held onto it even when she wanted to forget.

She should’ve kissed her, one last time.

She shouldn’t have listened to Winn. She should’ve gotten that kiss. If she’d known she might not ever get to kiss Alex again…

Maggie clenched her teeth together, fast forwarding to the part when she’d shot the arrow out of the crossbow.

She remembered Winn yelling, “Just _shoot_ the damn thing so we can get out of here!”

Maggie suddenly straightened up.

That was it.

She remembered not comprehending what exactly Winn had said. Hearing him say “get out of here” was enough. She hadn’t even considered not shooting the arrow, she’d just done it.

That note in binary code that had come down with the parachute? It was probably from that woman. Or someone she was working with.

That woman had gotten them out.

But…that wasn’t definitive proof, and it certainly didn’t answer even half of her questions. 

Who _was_ that woman?

Maggie had studied all the mentors, too, as she’d been told to do. All of them were past winners, so she’d seen their tapes. And Maggie didn’t recognize that woman as any of them. 

But maybe she wasn’t a main one.

Maggie placed her plate down on a table. 

J’onn J’onzz was listed as the mentor for District 12 and there was another person that was supposed to help him. Do hair and makeup, prep Tributes for the interview. That kind of stuff. Not important enough to be listed as a mentor. And they didn’t always have to be past winners.

And since J’onn was the only winner from 12 still alive, the other mentor _couldn’t_ be.

Maggie needed to get those files she’d studied, headshots she’d skipped over, _anything_. She needed to find out if that woman was the stylist for 12. Except that the stylists were usually hand-picked by the Capitol.

But that woman looked far from being from the Capitol.

Maggie needed to get out of this room so that she could think where it was quieter. She started making her way towards an exit.

Her mind was going a mile a minute.

If that woman was the stylist, then that meant she’d designed Alex’s outfit during that opening ceremony. That flaming suit that had made Alex as radiant as the sun, and Maggie had barely been able to tear her gaze away.

That also meant that she’d created, branded, Alex as the Girl on Fire. And, from the snippets of conversation Maggie had overheard, word had spread that the dress was unlike anything anyone had ever seen before. A dangerous and risky choice to make.

Maggie hadn’t understood why it was dangerous. But now she did.

It made Alex stand out. Made her be remembered. Made people care about the underdog from District 12, although Alex had done most of that by just being herself.

Maggie could see a door, and she wracked her brain for which hall she should go down to get to the filing room the fastest…and then she saw the woman across the room in the sea of people.

The woman was wearing a black button down and black jeans—not dressed up for the party but still with that gold eyeliner—and she had her hand up to her ear.

It would be much faster to just ask her.

Maggie quickly changed direction, making a beeline towards her, and then the woman saw Maggie and shook her head the tiniest bit.

Maggie stopped, confused. A moment later, the woman, still holding two fingers up to her ear, mouthed at her from the other end of the room: 

“Three, two, one.”

And then a distant, _Boom, boom. Boom_.

There were a couple shrieks, more than a couple gasps, the distinct sounds of Capitol soldiers cocking their guns, and overall chaos.

Maggie got jostled and quickly tried to keep her balance, keep that woman in her line of sight, but she lost her.

She saw about three or four Capitol soldiers head out the doors towards where the explosions—because Maggie was pretty sure those were bombs or something—came from. 

Was this happening _now_?

Was Alex coming to get her _now_?

Maggie needed to find that w—

Another, much closer _Boom_ sounded like it came from the room right next door, and even more people screamed and scattered, tripping over themselves.

Maggie almost got knocked over, but she quickly grabbed onto some guy’s jacket, pulling herself up, and then shoved him away. Before it could happen again, she bent down and ripped off her heels, which also helped to hide her in the crowd as she saw a Capitol soldier look her way.

If this was happening, and Alex and that woman—and hopefully other people with them—were getting her out of here, then she needed to keep herself away from Capitol soldiers who would no doubt not want her to leave.

Five people decked out in tight black suits with guns burst into the room and two shots were fired at the ceiling, creating even _more_ chaos.

That woman had been wearing all black, too. Maybe she and Alex were with them.

Maggie pushed her way through the crowd while trying to stay invisible—her blindingly white dress didn’t help with that—but suddenly an arm was wrapped around her from behind, a hand slapped over her mouth.

Maggie looked down and saw the distinct gray of a Capitol soldier’s uniform. She quickly grunted, throwing herself forward and twisting her body as best she could. His grip was tight, but Maggie got one arm out of his hold and elbowed him.

And then the soldier dropped to the ground a second later, and Maggie didn’t know what she’d done, but quickly realized he’d been shot.

One of those people wearing all black had shot him and was coming towards Maggie.

And Maggie didn’t know anything about what was going on, and she didn’t know whether to run from him, too, because the only person she somewhat trusted was that woman and that wasn’t her.

There were about as many Capitol soldiers now as there were those in black in the room and Maggie just wanted someone to tell her what was happening, where Alex was, and who—

Another smaller hand grabbed onto her arm and Maggie almost twisted it to break the wrist of whoever it was, but then she heard, “It’s me, it’s me. We’re going to get you out of here, okay?” 

Maggie whipped her head around, and the woman looked worried but determined and managed a small smile.

The woman waited for Maggie’s nod and then looped her arm through Maggie’s, keeping her hold tight while trying to squeeze through the crowd slowly but surely.

“Who are you?” Maggie asked her. “What’s happening?”

She knew that she could easily get away from her if necessary, and she kept all the potential exits and escape routes in the corners of her vision, kept her hopes up but also tamped them down.

“My name is M’gann M’orzz, I’m the other mentor—I _was_ the other mentor—for 12. I thought you would know that,” the woman—M’gann—told her. 

Maggie shook her head. “You’re not listed as a mentor.”

More gun shots and screaming filled the room and Maggie had to concentrate on M’gann’s voice as they got closer to the door Maggie figured she was heading towards.

“Hm,” M’gann said, a little annoyance in her voice. “Well, I’m not surprised. I suppose, on paper, I am the head of the prep team for 12.”

Maggie was a bit happy about figuring that out, but she still had a million more questions she needed answered. “What’s happening? Where are we going?”

M’gann didn’t answer and put a hand up to her ear again. Maggie didn’t hear what she said as three people with black masks that matched their outfits surrounded them, their guns aiming and striking true on Capitol soldiers trying to shoot at them.

They finally got out of that damn atrium, and there were only two people now as one of them stayed behind to guard the door.

M’gann pulled her, walking faster towards a stairwell.

A stairwell that had limited exit points. And Maggie was outnumbered now, three-to-one. And two of those guys had guns while Maggie didn’t have any weapons.

“Wait, wait, where the hell are we going?” Maggie asked, practically shoving the woman away from her. She almost stepped on broken glass with her bare feet.

One of the people in black put a hand on her shoulder and Maggie shook him off, too.

“Maggie, you need to trust me,” M’gann said, being cautious now, trying to get Maggie to keep moving.

“Why? Where’s Alex?”

“That’s where we’re going. To her.”

“But _where_? Where is she?” Maggie asked, and then one of the guys shoved her as M’gann opened the door the stairwell so she almost tripped over herself.

Luckily, M’gann blocked her way before she could spin around and throw that guy down the staircase.

“Agent Stewart, do _not_ lay a hand on her again. Do you hear me?” M’gann’s voice echoed a little bit as Maggie had no choice but to follow them down the stairs.

“They’re after us, and she’s not going fast enough—”

“I do not care. Stay at the back.”

“But—”

“At the back. You,” M’gann pointed to the other agent. “Up here.”

The other agent listened to her and lead them down flight after flight of stairs.

Maggie still felt tensed up and unsure and anxious while trying to figure out how to fight all three of them at the same time in case she had to while wanting to trust them because she wanted to know if Alex was alive and she wanted to see Alex again and they were her only hope of doing that.

They entered some kind of hallway with white walls and flickering florescent lights and M’gann started to tell her what had happened.

Apparently, J’onn had sent that note to Winn in the arena, and Maggie had destroyed the arena’s force field with that arrow. When they put them to sleep, they’d managed to have a projection up so that Maggie—and Max and Veronica—thought it was fixed.

Maggie hadn’t even been focusing on the force field all that much when that announcement had come on and they’d told her Alex and Winn were dead.

“But, so, where did they go? If Alex is…is _here_ , then where is Winn? And where did Alex come from?” Maggie asked.

“I cannot tell you that,” M’gann said, shaking her head, “If this doesn’t go right and they capture you, I don’t want you to have anything to tell them.”

“But…” Maggie trailed off. 

“J’onn couldn’t take you out, too, because you had your tracker in your arm. Alex took hers out while she was in the lake and Winn’s had broken pretty early on. J’onn didn’t want to leave you in there, in the Capitol’s hands, but it would’ve put all of you in danger.”

Maggie nodded as they rounded another corner. 

That made sense. Maggie was glad they’d taken Alex and Winn and not her, if it meant they’d be safe. 

Maggie was listening to M’gann tell her all this and everything she was saying was making logical sense. But she still wasn’t telling her anything of importance, really. Maggie knew she wasn’t.

She wasn’t telling her where Alex was, who she—and these two agents—were with.

Five flights down. Left, straight, right, right, left, right.

Maggie memorized the order of which way they were going so if she found out that M’gann and these agents were not to be trusted, she knew which way to go to get out.

She heard the nice agent say that they were in Corridor E a while ago and logged that, too, in case it would help her.

“Can you tell me who you’re working with?” Maggie then asked.

“No,” M’gann said. “We’re not with the Capitol.”

“Yeah, that’s convincing,” Maggie deadpanned. 

God, was it really so hard to tell her _anything_ about what was happening?

M’gann was saying, “Trust me,” and Maggie wanted to—she _wanted_ to, so badly—but she knew absolutely nothing about her. Or what was going on. Or anything except that maybe Alex was alive but what if she wasn’t and this was all a trap?

And then M’gann was putting a hand on her arm and Maggie found herself flinching away because she wanted, more than anything, to believe her. Because M’gann talked about Alex as if she was alive, but Maggie couldn’t handle going through that again if Alex wasn’t and she could feel herself start to get too hopeful and good things like this didn’t happen to her and she’d lost everything and losing her again would be too much and she just—

“Maggie, what’s wrong?”

Maggie was having trouble breathing. She backed up, away from them, away from these strangers she’d blindly trusted and was following down an endless maze of hallways.

“Who are you with? Where is Alex?” Maggie asked, trying not to let her voice shake.

She bumped into Agent Stewart and quickly got out of his way before he could shove her again.

“I told you, I can’t tell you,” M’gann said, quieter this time. Maggie didn’t know how she could be calm at a time like this, when there was a full-on war going on upstairs.

“You want me to follow you blindly and you can’t tell me? That’s _bullshit_ —”

“You have to trust me, Maggie, okay? I promise, we’re going to her.”

“How can I trust you when you won’t tell me a goddamn thing about what the hell is going on? How can she be alive? How do I know you’re not with them? How—”

“Maggie, please—” M’gann tried again.

Agent Stewart grabbed her arm again and before Maggie could shake him off, he pushed her forward, a vice-like grip on her arm. He—and the other agent—still had their stupid masks on.

“Agent—”

“We need to keep going,” he said, his voice gruff.

“No. No,” Maggie said, shaking her head. “I am not following you anymore until one of you—”

“Maggie, don’t hurt him,” M’gann said, and Maggie barely restrained herself from doing so.

“We can’t tell you more. Just trust us,” the agent said. And Maggie trusted M’gann a little bit, but she didn’t trust this guy at _all_.

“I can’t do that if you don’t—God, get _off_ of me,” Maggie exclaimed as yanked her arm from him. “I swear, if you don’t tell me where we’re going in the next _minute_ , or if we don’t see her soon, I’m gonna—”

“You’ll what? Run back upstairs and get taken by Capitol soldiers? Do we look like Capitol? Didn’t you see them shooting at us?” The agent led her around the corner. And then he slowed down, looking forward now.

Maggie made a mental note that they’d turned left again. “Yes, but this could be…you could still be with them, or…or just bad people, I don’t know! How the hell am I supposed to know if—”

And then she heard her name.

She probably shouldn’t have been able to hear it over the echo of their footsteps or her own voice, but that breathless, “Maggie,” sounded like…

Maggie whipped her head around and stopped in her tracks when she saw her.

Alex.

Alive.

She saw Alex at the other end of the hallway dressed like them and there were more agents behind her, but they were kind of blurry as Maggie focused on Alex.

She couldn’t believe it.

She’d been too busy preparing herself for if this was all a lie that she didn’t even stop to think about what would happen if it was true.

But it was. Alex was here.

Alex, who was coming towards her, looked worried and relieved and in disbelief, and Maggie was pretty sure she had the same expression on her face because Alex was _here_ and she was _alive_ and the outfit suited her but she looked skinny and her cheeks were a bit sunken in and Maggie was worried that something had happened to her because it seemed like she hadn’t gotten any medical treatment since they’d been in the arena. Maggie kind of wondered how she could be running to her right now.

But Maggie was glad Alex was because her feet were stuck to the floor and she couldn’t really breathe and she was frozen as if she was seeing a ghost, which she _was_ because Alex was not supposed to be alive and yet here she was, right there.

Right in front of her, now.

She forgot about everything else—every _one_ else—and Alex was all she could see.

And if Maggie had any doubt in her mind that this was Alex, this was _her_ Alex, the first thing out of Alex’s mouth was, “Are you okay?” after she hesitated to touch her and glanced down as if to check, even though _she_ was the one who looked like she’d just came back from the dead.

Maggie was fine, she was more than fine. She was so indescribably _happy_ and relieved and she could feel her eyes start to sting when Alex looked back up at her.

And Maggie couldn’t get any words out but all she wanted to do was make Alex stop worrying and being ridiculous, so she finally, finally just reached up to pull Alex’s jaw down and kept her grip tight on her cheeks as if Alex could disappear again and kissed her like she’d wanted to do for the past three days.

Which, now, felt like the longest three days of her entire life.

It only took Alex half a second to kiss her back, and all Maggie could focus on was her fingers touching Alex’s skin and Alex’s hair and Alex’s lips on hers and Alex’s hands on her hips and her mind was flooded with just _Alex, Alex, Alex_.

Maggie could feel herself crying and she really tried not to, but she’d lost her and now she had everything again, right here, and she didn’t need that spark anymore because it had leapt into a flame and engulfed her.

The kiss was a little messy and desperate, but Maggie honestly didn’t care because Alex felt the same, she tasted the same, and she wiped Maggie’s tears away with her thumbs as she cupped her cheeks gently as if Maggie would break but kissed her as if she’d been through the longest three days of her life, too.

Maggie realized that she should probably let Alex breathe, even though she didn’t want to let go of her for even a second. But she wanted to look at her, to see her, to wrap her head around the fact that Alex was alive.

So she opened her eyes before kissing Alex one more time. Alex was smiling, and she’d looked tensed up before, worried, but now Maggie could tell that that was all gone. Maggie rested her forehead against Alex’s, not letting her move even an inch away just yet. 

Maggie tried to smile back when Alex’s eyes fluttered open but then closed her eyes again, trying to take this, everything, in. Alex was _here_. She’d come all the way here to get her.

Maggie shook her head, whispering, “I didn’t…” she willed herself to stop crying, her voice to stop shaking, and swallowed. “She told me that…but I-I just can’t believe…”

Maggie finally opened her eyes again, already wondering whether Alex had disappeared even though she could feel her.

Maggie leaned back a little bit, still not moving her hands. “You…you’re here,” she said, and hearing herself say the words made it feel more real, somehow. “You’re alive.” 

She glanced down and back up, trying to get her brain to comprehend everything a bit faster, and then an incredulous laugh filled with relief and disbelief and all she was feeling escaped her, and she felt herself smile more than she’d smiled in what seemed like forever.

It was amazing how quickly her heart went from aching to feeling weightless.

And somehow Alex knew what else Maggie needed, because she nodded and confirmed, “I’m here. I’m okay.”

Maggie let out a breath and leaned forward to slide her hands to Alex’s neck, pressing herself against her and hugging her tightly.

She concentrated on Alex’s arms around her and briefly noticed the group of agents standing in the hallway over Alex’s shoulder. One of them without a mask was coming closer to them with something around his neck. It reminded her that the two of them weren’t in their own little world—although it certainly seemed like it—and where they were and what was happening upstairs, but Maggie didn’t want this moment to end so soon.

Maggie reluctantly pulled back again, but ran her hands and fingers over Alex’s shoulders, her arms, her hands as she couldn’t seem to not touch Alex to double- and triple-check that Alex was still there and breathing and alive and with her. 

“I missed you,” she told her, and almost laughed again.

Understatement of the century.

Alex’s smile grew and lit up her face, and she ran her fingers through Maggie’s hair to tuck some behind her ear. “I missed you, too.”

And Maggie gladly would’ve stayed there forever, soaking in all of this for a little while longer, but then Alex suddenly shut her eyes again with a groan and put a hand up to her ear.

“ _Goddammit_ , Winn,” she said, sighing, frustration evident in her voice. “Seriously? _Again_?”

Maggie was worried that something bad had happened or that Alex was going a little bit crazy (but what else was new?) and talking to herself until she heard Winn’s name and then she was just very perplexed.

Alex stepped away from her but threaded her fingers through Maggie’s as if she also didn’t want to not be touching her as she replied to something Winn had said with, “Yes! Yes, I _can_ blame you. You have _got_ to stop doing that.”

“Um, sorry, what’s happening?” Maggie couldn’t help but ask.

Alex looked back at her and pointed to her ear. “Winn’s in my ear. And Kara, actually,” she explained. “It’s a communication device thing. I don’t really know exactly how it works, but…”

 _Ah_ , Maggie thought. Like M’gann’s, probably.

And right then, M’gann chose that moment to come up behind Maggie. “Hey, Alex, Maggie,” she said, glancing at Maggie with a smile on her face. “We don’t really have time to stay here much longer.”

Maggie was going to have to apologize to her later. About everything. Although it seemed like M’gann knew why Maggie had acted that way, had been difficult.

But still. M’gann had brought Alex back to her. She deserved a hundred apologies along with a hundred thank you’s.

Alex let go of her hand for a moment to hug M’gann and the boy without the mask that Maggie had seen before was walking up to them, too, with a smile…and a camera, for some reason.

He looked way too young to be here, to be an agent, but Alex was asking him if he had gotten his picture and now Maggie, once again, didn’t know anything about anything that was happening.

Alex explained that the kid—James—needed a picture of them. “If you want to,” Alex reassured her.

Maggie fought a smirk. “A picture.” 

Alex nodded and started rambling again, trying to explain, but she seemed to figure out that they didn’t have time to tell her every little detail right now. M’gann looked like she agreed, so James quickly pushed them together again before he and M’gann stepped back.

“So, if you,” James said with a glance at Maggie, and then continued, “well, actually both of you, could pretend like we just got here, and you just saw her again, and do the whole…with the jaw, and—”

Maggie stopped listening and pulled Alex down again to kiss her, not even caring that the kid was watching, taking pictures, because she had an excuse to kiss Alex again and that was all that mattered.

They waited an acceptable time—and then some—to separate, and Alex looked just as happy about this. Maggie bit her lip, still cupping Alex’s jaw, and turned her head towards James again.

“Was that good?” she asked. “Do you need another one? I can do it again, if you want.”

James smiled at his viewfinder. “Nope, I’m good. I got it.”

“Are you sure?” Alex then asked with a smirk. “You don’t need a different angle, or something?”

And Maggie was pretty disappointed when M’gann reminded them that they needed to go, and Maggie was about to grab Alex’s hand and follow her.

“Wait,” Alex said before she could, and Maggie looked back at her. Maggie wondered why she seemed nervous all of a sudden and didn’t want to get to the hell out of here as soon as possible. “Are you sure you want to come, with us?” Alex then asked.

“What?” Maggie asked, more concerned now.

“District 13. That’s where we’re going,” Alex explained, which opened up a whole new realm of questions, some of which Alex answered. “It wasn’t blown up. That’s where I was, and that’s where Winn and my sister and my mom are. But,” Alex said, running a hand through her hair, “you don’t have to come back with us, if you don’t…want to.”

Maggie couldn’t quite believe what Alex was saying. Did she not…want her to come? Why would she ever think that Maggie wouldn’t… “What are you talking about?”

“I just thought that maybe…you have family here, or _near_ here, in District 1. And I don’t think it’ll be safe at all for you to stay, but…” Alex kept going, but Maggie didn’t need to hear more. She understood.

And she promised herself, right then and there, to tell Alex about her family. What had really happened four years ago. What they’d done to her.

She avoided it before because it hurt too much to talk about and she’d been scared that Alex would look at her differently, or something. And she was still scared, but she had to. Alex deserved to know. 

They didn’t have time now, though, for Maggie to tell her.

It was a pretty easy choice to make.

She didn’t want to go back to…to _that place_. Maggie, more than anything, wanted to stay by Alex’s side, no matter what.

That place, and District 1, weren’t home anymore. 

Maggie was pretty sure she didn’t even have a home now…but being with Alex again felt like Maggie thought home should feel like.

So she shook her head, which made Alex stop, and said a little forcefully, “Alex, take me with you.”

Alex looked surprised. “Are—are you sure? I mean, you probably won’t see them for…I don’t know how long.”

Maggie nodded because she’d never been surer of anything in her life. “I’m sure. I…I wanna be with you,” she said with a smile. “And Winn, and…everybody. Please, take me with you.”

That got Alex to smile again and she said a quiet, “Okay.”

Maggie took her hand and squeezed it before M’gann gestured for them—and everyone else—to start following her.

They made their way back down the hallways and took a few new turns down unfamiliar ones to go outside.

To go to District 13.

Maggie couldn’t quite believe 13 wasn’t destroyed, and that Alex and her family were there. But she knew she probably wouldn’t believe it until she saw it.

And that she was going to get out of here, out of the Capitol, with Alex.

She was still wrapping her head around it. She couldn’t help but just look at Alex while they walked, in awe.

In awe that Alex was alive, and right next to her, and would smile back when she noticed Maggie staring, and Maggie could hold her hand and watch her mouth move as she gestured with her other hand, explaining everything to Maggie that M’gann had been hesitant about before.

All Maggie wanted to do was kiss her again, and hug her, and make her smile and laugh. And she wanted to just…be with her.

But Maggie settled for wrapping her arm around Alex’s waist to keep her steady when it seemed like she could collapse at any moment. Maggie soaked in how she felt lighter, too, like the heavy weight and grief that had been boring down on her was being lifted off just by being beside Alex again.

Because, Maggie realized, she had forever to do that—to be with her—now. Whatever happened next, good or bad, they were together. They’d get through it, together.

Maggie had gotten Alex back, and she wasn’t _ever_ going to let her go again.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> feel free to request things here or on my tumblr hufflepuffdanvers.tumblr.com :) or if you don't want any more, tell me to stop lol
> 
> here is my Official List of one-shots (that could be changed): https://bit.ly/2ILkJpJ


	4. jeremiah

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jeremiah's recovery.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> set after the epilogue
> 
> also: I finally made a masterpost of all the one-shots I'm gonna write for this fic. it'll be edited/updated when I write each one, but here's a link: https://bit.ly/2ILkJpJ

The first person Jeremiah recognized was Kara.

About a week after Winn’s birthday, Alex and Eliza were standing with J’onn, M’gann, and the doctor outside of the room, looking in through the window.

There were two nurses in Jeremiah’s room with Kara, like there always were, and she was sitting by his bed on a stool.

Alex never felt good about letting Kara go in there alone, and she had a feeling Eliza and J’onn didn’t either. But the doctor insisted that she would be fine because the nurses were there in case anything went wrong, and it wouldn’t be as overwhelming for him.

Jeremiah was having less and less episodes now and was more confused than angry and distrusting, which the doctor insisted was good.

Alex longed for the day when being around her father would make her feel elated instead of…well, what she usually felt now.

The entire time Kara or Eliza or J’onn were in the room she would be tense and scared. Because Jeremiah could attack them at any moment.

When _she_ was in the room, she’d sometimes remember what he’d done to her. She’d sit as far away as possible and there was a dull ache in her heart from knowing that she had to do that in order to feel safe around him.

Maggie was always there when it was Alex’s turn, no matter how many things they both had to do that day. She’d help Alex, after Alex had her hour in the room with him. And it felt really good that pushing Maggie—and anyone else who wanted to help her feel better—away wasn’t her first instinct anymore. 

It seemed like Maggie could always tell when Alex actually wanted to be alone versus the times when she didn’t or shouldn’t be. 

Alex never left Kara alone, either. And she’d make sure someone was always there when she couldn’t be.

Today, Jeremiah was acting a bit different around Kara than usual.

Most of the time, that meant something bad, but this time…

This time Jeremiah was looking at Kara differently, Alex could tell. It seemed like the doctor could, too, as she was watching more carefully. Alex didn’t really know what the look on Jeremiah’s face could mean, until Jeremiah asked Kara a question and, while she was responding, Kara reached out for his hand and squeezed it.

Alex could feel herself tense up again and wanted to move towards the door to get Kara out of there. Kara realized what she’d done and almost jerked her hand back.

They’d been told no physical contact as it might elicit a negative reaction. Kara glanced back at the two nurses, and Alex recognized the expression on her face as the one she’d get when she thought she’d done something wrong. It always made Alex want to make it go away as quickly as possible.

But this time, it seemed as though Kara had done something right.

Alex heard Jeremiah say, “Kara?” in a soft voice as if he’d realized something or was seeing her in a new light.

It took Kara a second to respond, as the doctor would usually tell them whether to identify themselves by their names or not. But the doctor couldn’t even tell Kara what to say before Kara responded with, “Um, yeah.”

A smile broke out on Jeremiah’s face a moment later, and Alex didn’t know what to feel when he reached out and grabbed Kara’s hand again as if to remind himself what it felt like to hold it.

To hold his daughter’s hand.

Alex heard Eliza let out a sigh of relief that was almost a sob and Alex wanted to be glad, to be ecstatic, but something was holding her back.

Jeremiah was looking at Kara’s hand and then back up to her face, and Kara beamed before it seemed like she knew Jeremiah wouldn’t hurt her, so she didn’t waste another second before wrapping her arms around his neck.

Jeremiah hugged her back, and Alex let herself relax as it seemed like his strong grip on Kara was not caused by anger and wanting to hurt her.

He must’ve remembered, Alex thought, the times the three of them had walked to the market or the square together. Kara was always on his right, Alex on his left. And he would always ask, after a long day, if Kara was tired of walking, but she would just squeeze his hand and tell him she was fine. Alex had an inkling that it was because she still loved, even months (and years) of living with them in District 12, the feeling of the dirt road and grass under her feet after living for so long in a place that had smooth floors.

After a minute, Eliza wanted to go in and see if he would have the same reaction to her, but the doctor told her to stay put, that they might have to wait until tomorrow.

This was a big step, she reassured them, but they had to make sure it would stick.

J’onn kept glancing over at Alex, probably wondering why she wasn’t saying anything at all, but most of Alex’s attention was on Jeremiah, who would touch Kara’s hair and look at her as if he was rediscovering her and trying to process that she was there.

It did stick, because Kara had gone in the room again the next day and Jeremiah smiled.

It wasn’t until a few days later, when Jeremiah finally recognized Eliza, that Alex knew that she was overwhelmed by envy, of all things.

She couldn’t even be happy when the wedding ring on Eliza’s finger was what seemed to work for Jeremiah to realize that the woman in the room with him was his wife.

Eliza had looked disappointed as she got up and started to walk towards the door. Jeremiah was still watching her when the nurses came over to him, and he said, “Wait.”

Eliza must’ve thought he was talking to the nurses as she kept going, but then he said, a little louder, “Lizzie, _wait_.”

Eliza froze in place before turning around, and the nurses stopped halfway through undoing the harness around his right wrist (as he’d graduated from having to be fully strapped to the bed a while ago).

Luckily, one of the nurses quickly detached him completely as Eliza couldn’t seem to believe what was happening, and Jeremiah got up off the bed, going over to her.

He looked down at her hand and felt the ring on her finger, and then practically scooped her up in his arms.

Alex thought Eliza would hurt him when she couldn’t seem to help herself and squeezed him back so tightly it made Alex’s heart ache even more watching them.

Watching them as Jeremiah finally pulled back and pressed their foreheads together and whispered something to her as he wiped her tears away with his thumbs and kissed her cheek and hugged her again.

Watching her mother hold on to him and look happier than Alex had been able to see in a long time. Probably since before Jeremiah had been taken.

Alex couldn’t help it—she got her hopes up.

When Alex got permission to go into his room the day after that, she spent her entire hour talking to him, wondering when he was going to recognize her, too. He had to, any minute now.

But he didn’t.

When Alex thought she’d try what Kara had done and reached out for his hand, he pulled his away so that she wouldn’t touch him.

And that simple thing stung more than she thought it would.

Alex knew—somewhere in her mind—that her progress with him had been slower than Kara’s and Eliza’s and J’onn’s these past few weeks. When the three of them would reach ‘milestones,’ as the doctor had begun to call them, faster than her, or when he would have episodes more frequently after seeing her, she’d convince herself that it was okay. It would just take a bit longer, but it would happen. 

The doctor had warned her that the Capitol might’ve focused on Alex more than everyone else. Focused more on making Jeremiah believe she was someone dangerous.

But watching him with Eliza and Kara made Alex believe that it would be easier for him, now, to see her, too. 

Apparently, it wasn’t meant to be. Not yet. Not as soon as she wanted.

And all Alex felt was pain and frustration and envy and everything except the relief and joy she so desperately wanted to feel. Then, she felt even worse when she tried to _stop_ making herself feel those things. She should be happy that he was making progress—huge progress—but she couldn’t.

Everyone was waiting outside of the room and Alex left that day, once again, with her father not knowing she was his daughter he’d been away from for five years.

Alex could feel herself wanting to cry, to scream, to…to break something because it was taking too long. It was taking longer than it should and maybe he would never see her again and she wasn’t sure she could take it anymore.

Her patience was wearing thin, and she just wanted her father back.

She didn’t think she’d ever wanted something so badly.

Alex surprised herself by not pushing past Maggie when she left Jeremiah’s room despite the storm that seemed to be brewing inside of her and instead let Maggie block her path to the door.

Maggie always seemed to know exactly what she needed. Maggie grabbed her hands and ran her thumbs over Alex’s knuckles and could probably see everything Alex was feeling reflected in her expression that she was trying to hide, to keep under control.

Maggie pulled her over to the bench and sat her down and told her, “It’s gonna happen, any day now.”

Alex made herself look at Maggie to see a small, reassuring smile on her face.

Kara seemed worried about Alex, too, when Alex glanced over at her. Eliza and J’onn were preoccupied with speaking to the doctor at the moment, probably trying to question her and figure out why Jeremiah wasn’t recognizing Alex at the same time as everyone else.

Alex took Kara’s hand when she offered it and stopped trying to convince herself that she didn’t need them right now, she didn’t deserve them right now. She wasn’t going through this alone; she shouldn’t have to.

Still, Alex shook her head and took a deep breath in. “I don’t know. What if…I mean, he might n-never…”

“He will. I know he will,” Maggie said a bit forcefully.

“I just want him back,” Alex whispered, trying to keep her voice from shaking.

“We will, Alex,” Kara told her. “We’ll have him back.”

“No, but you…you already…” Alex clenched her jaw, feeling anger creep into her tone. “You already have him back and I…I don’t. He sees you, Kara. He _knows_ you.”

Alex hated thinking this, but it wasn’t _fair_. How come Kara got to have him before her? How come he could know Kara again before he knew the daughter he’d raised for thirteen years?

Kara shook her head and knelt down. “We don’t have him back until we’re all a family again. All of us, Alex. And we will, soon. I can feel it.”

Alex wanted to believe her—both of them—as they seemed so sure.

But she couldn’t. It hurt even more, somehow, to do so.

She decided to stop being optimistic. Maybe it would help if she didn’t have high expectations so that she wouldn’t be let down like this every time.

The watch on Alex’s wrist seemed to be taunting her.

Every time she went in to see her father, she’d notice him glance at it every so often. 

She’d count how many times he would, and wondered if maybe it was helping, even though it hadn’t the first time she’d gone in to see him.

She would wear it every time she went in, despite the doctor not wanting her to. But she’d only taken it off a handful of times—and the one time she hadn’t had a choice to—before, and she wasn’t about to start taking it off now, even for this.

Alex would remind him, over and over again, that it used to be his, and that he’d left it for her. 

She thought about giving it back to him when he got better, even though she didn’t want to, because he’d probably want it back. But for now, she wanted to remind him that he’d given it to her—his daughter.

It took another six days.

Alex had gone in four more times, only making a bit of progress each time. Jeremiah had also recognized J’onn since then, and Alex’s hopes were diminishing even more.

It was a Thursday, and she and Maggie were sitting with J’onn, M’gann, and a couple of other higher-ups in the DEO in their usual meeting room, going over their plans.

Her and Maggie were supposed to be travelling to District 4 soon because there was a pretty big resistance group there and the DEO wanted the two of them to be seen on the battleground, so to speak.

Maggie was asking, again—and Alex had a feeling as to why—if they could go to any other District, but the DEO seemed set on 4.

Halfway through the meeting, Alex whipped her head up towards the door when it was opened, suddenly, by Kara, who seemed a bit winded.

Kara took a moment to catch her breath and looked at Alex as everyone in the room went silent. “He’s asking for you,” she said.

“What’s going on?” M’gann asked, and Alex was glad she did, because it seemed like…

Kara just repeated, “He’s asking for her. For Alex.”

Kara caught Alex’s eye again and smiled, which confirmed who she was talking about.

Alex couldn’t quite believe it.

She glanced at J’onn, who gave her a small nod as if to say it was okay to go, she didn’t even need to ask. Alex figured it was partly because President Grant wasn’t in the room at the moment to say no, and he also knew he couldn’t stop her from leaving if he tried.

Alex got up quickly and only remembered she’d been holding Maggie’s hand when she had to let go of it.

Maggie smiled at her. “Go. I’ll be right behind you,” she said, as if she knew that Alex wasn’t going to be able to stop herself from running all the way there.

And she did.

He was asking for Alex. And if he still hated Alex, thought of Alex as an enemy, then why would he be?

So this meant he was asking for her. 

It had been a month and a half since they’d gone to the Capitol, since Jeremiah had been brought here. Six whole weeks of doing treatments and going in the room about every other day to talk to him.

Kara was right beside Alex as they both went to the ICU, and she started to tell her what had happened.

“They were worried before about letting him know where he was, but they decided to tell him that he was in District 13. And then he got so excited that he and Mom and I were here because that was his plan, y’know. He was trying to bring us here,” Kara explained, and Alex nodded, trying to go as fast as possible without tripping over herself. “And then he seemed to realize that you weren’t there, that you were missing. And I told him that you were here, with us. And, I don’t know, it just seemed like it…clicked. Like he realized that you were, well, _you_. That you were his daughter and that you were here, and he’d been talking to you just yesterday. He started asking for you, for Alex, and I ran to come get you.”

Alex couldn’t help a smile, feeling every emotion she hadn’t let herself feel in what seemed like forever. She grabbed Kara’s hand and squeezed it, not really trusting herself to respond right now.

They finally made it to the ICU and Alex was just about as nervous as she’d been that first time she’d come to see him.

She didn’t really know what was about to happen, but she hoped, with every fiber of her being, that it wouldn’t be like the first time.

At least Kara would be there if anything bad happened. And Alex realized, for a brief moment, that Kara had been here alone. Eliza and the doctor weren’t there, and J’onn had been in that meeting. There was only one nurse in the room with Jeremiah.

She went in before she could stop herself and forgot about all her worries when Jeremiah looked up at her.

Alex paused for a moment and could only focus on how his face softened and then he smiled— _smiled_ —at her as he stood up.

“You’re here,” he said, practically in a whisper, and Alex could only nod. “I missed you so much, baby girl.”

Alex choked out a sob at that and couldn’t help it as she ran to him and may have wrapped her arms around him a little too tight, but she didn’t care because her father was holding her just as tightly.

He was back. He was her dad, and she was his daughter again.

Alex had heard the doctor telling Eliza that he wasn’t magically cured. That he might need more time to get used to everything, to them again, but Alex forced those thoughts out of her mind and concentrated on how her heart felt lighter and how she couldn’t keep a smile off her face or tears from streaming down her cheeks.

Alex didn’t know how long they stood there, swaying slightly, but Alex thought she could stay like this forever. Alex felt Jeremiah let go of her with one hand for a second and pull Kara over to join them.

When he finally pulled away he looked at both of them and then put his hands on Alex’s shoulders as Kara squeezed her arm.

“You’ve grown up so much—both of you,” Jeremiah said. “I guess you’re not really my baby girl anymore, huh?”

Alex let out a wet laugh and sniffled.

“I thought about you every single day I was in those cells,” he then told her. “Every day. You, and Kara,” he glanced at Kara with a smile, “and your mother and J’onn…the thought of living to see you all again was what kept me going. And I was trying to remember, when they…when they started to,” he paused and swallowed, and pain flashed across his expression, “show me those tapes, God, it was just…”

“It’s okay, Dad, you don’t have to…” Alex trailed off.

Jeremiah shook his head. “I’m sorry it took me so long. It was like you were there— _always_ there—in the back of my mind, but I just couldn’t…”

“What matters is that you’re back now,” Alex said, smiling again so he would smile. “Right?”

And Jeremiah mirrored it. “Right,” he said after a moment.

Alex went to hug him again and told him she loved him and felt her heart soar when he said it back.

A little later, Eliza came when J’onn told her the news. And for the first time in five years, they were together. Alex thought she’d never been happier.

And even though her family had grown bigger than Alex ever imagined it would, the four of them were together again, which was all she’d ever wanted.

\------

Over the next couple weeks, Jeremiah’s recovery involved getting him out of the ICU and into the General Care Center, and then slowly letting him have meals with them and half days where they’d show him around.

In that time, Alex managed to convince Maggie that she had to come and meet him, reassuring her that he’d love her, because who wouldn’t?

Maggie asked Alex if he knew about her own father. Alex had already told Jeremiah where Maggie was from and he’d asked where her parents were and what they did, and Alex told him that, too.

The doctor had told them all that Jeremiah might still have some small memory issues and to slowly and surely tell him about everything that had happened and changed but not to overwhelm him. So Alex was _also_ a little nervous about introducing him to Maggie as she’d been avoiding telling him about some big things—one big thing in particular—that he hadn’t been around for.

But Maggie was important to Alex, so it was important that her father knew Maggie, too. And that Maggie knew that Jeremiah wouldn’t blame her for what her father might’ve done.

Maggie waited outside as Alex sat by his bedside. A different bedside in a different hospital room, as they still wanted to monitor him sometimes.

“Hey, Dad,” Alex started to say. “You, um…you remember Maggie, right? That girl I was telling you about?”

Jeremiah shifted up in the bed. “Yeah.”

“Well, um, she wants to come and meet you. Is that okay?”

“Of course,” Jeremiah said, and Alex could tell that he was a bit worried about how nervous she seemed to be.

Alex opened the door again and smiled before grabbing Maggie’s hand to pull her gently inside. 

And Alex wanted to make _Maggie’s_ nerves go away because she could practically feel them, so she just led her over to his bedside.

“Maggie, my dad,” Alex said, gesturing between them with the hand that wasn’t holding Maggie’s. “Dad, this is Maggie.”

“Hi, it’s nice to meet you, Doctor Danvers,” Maggie said, reaching out to shake his hand. 

“Please, call me Jeremiah,” Jeremiah told her, which made Maggie relax somewhat.

“Maggie is…” Alex faltered but continued after clearing her throat when Maggie squeezed her hand, “She’s actually my girlfriend.”

Jeremiah’s eyes widened the slightest bit. “Oh.”

Alex took a deep breath and chewed on her lip, waiting for him to say something else. He glanced down at their hands, and then, to Alex’s relief, he smiled.

“Well, I should’ve known,” he said.

“What do you mean?” Alex asked.

“You mention her a lot, you know.” And before Alex could even say anything, Jeremiah looked at Maggie and said, “She talks about you all the time,” as if Alex wasn’t right there.

Maggie let out a light laugh as Alex felt her neck get hot.

“I do not…not _all_ the time,” Alex tried to defend herself.

Jeremiah leaned forward and mouthed, “All the time,” to Maggie with a wink.

Alex groaned and slumped down onto the stool next to his bed, pulling Maggie down to sit next to her. 

Maggie leaned into her side and then Jeremiah seemed to let it go—for now—and instead hesitantly asked, “So, is this…new? Did I know, before? About…you?”

Alex rubbed her fingers together. “No, it’s not _new_ , it’s…well, sort of. I mean, I didn’t know before you…left. So yeah, it is new, for you, I guess,” she stuttered out.

Jeremiah nodded slowly. It seemed like he was processing this, but his smile appeared again, and Alex felt herself relax, too. “Thank you, for telling me. And I’m very glad that you have someone like her,” he told her. He leaned forward and Alex closed her eyes as he kissed her forehead.

Alex was so relieved, and he probably wanted to talk to her about it more later, but for now, he turned to Maggie and changed the subject. “So, Alex tells me you’re quite the botanist.”

Maggie looked surprised that he knew that. And, okay…maybe Alex talked about Maggie more than she meant to. But who could blame her?

Maggie then ducked her head. “Oh, well, not really. I just like plants.”

“She is, Dad,” Alex told him. “She’s been helping them in the greenhouse in the Eastern quadrant sometimes. We can probably go there later this week, if you want. I don’t think you’ve been yet, unless Mom took you.”

Jeremiah shook his head. “No, I don’t think she has. We’ll have to go.”

They talked for awhile and Alex was so grateful that her dad was making Maggie feel comfortable and that he seemed to like her. Alex knew he would, but Maggie didn’t, so Alex was glad that she knew now, too.

Jeremiah couldn’t sleep outside of the hospital for another week, so another nurse came in to tell them it was about time for lights out.

And Alex had almost forgotten about their late-night meeting with the DEO (they seemed to be more frequent now that they were getting ready for their big trip), but Winn managed to find them and tell them they were gonna be late if they didn’t head over right now.

Alex didn’t really care about being late, so she pulled Winn into the room, too, to meet Jeremiah. She knew he’d been avoiding it as well because Maggie and Winn would help each other out and be busy with ‘crossbow practice’ a few too many times a week. Alex knew they had good, reasonable reasons for being nervous around Jeremiah, but they shouldn’t be.

“Dad, you have to meet Winn really quick before we go,” Alex insisted, tugging on Winn’s arm.

“Winn?” Jeremiah asked, surprised. “You’re J’onn’s son?”

Winn paused, and Alex just pushed him forward a bit roughly, causing to look at her with a pout. Alex waved a hand at him and he turned back to Jeremiah.

“Uh, yeah, I am,” Winn then said, running a hand through his hair. Alex could hear the smile in his voice; it seemed Winn still wasn’t used to that.

“J’onn’s told me about you. You know, all those years ago, he would tell me he never wanted children,” Jeremiah said, glancing at Alex. “And then he’d turn around and treat my daughters like they were his own. I always knew he probably wanted one more than he knew.”

Winn smiled. “I doubt I’m _exactly_ what he had in mind, but…”

Jeremiah shook his head. “He’s happier than I’ve ever seen him, Winn. He’s really lucky to have you.”

“I’m lucky to have him,” Winn said quietly.

Jeremiah looked between Winn and Maggie. “You two can come eat dinner with us anytime, you know. You’re always welcome.”

Alex went to hug him one last time before they all left, and he held her a little tighter than usual.

“Thank you,” she whispered. Her father had a twinkle in his eye that let Alex know that he knew what she was thanking him for, how much it probably meant to Winn and Maggie that he’d talked to them and said those things. And that he was okay with…everything with her, too.

“I love you,” he said.

“I love you, too,” she said back. “I’ll see you tomorrow morning.”

Jeremiah nodded, and Alex followed Maggie and Winn down the hall.

She glanced back one more time and saw her father getting comfortable for the night. He had a small smile on his face, and Alex’s heart felt weightless.

Alex wondered what was making her father smile like that, but she had a feeling she knew.

Because, with a little help, he’d finally been able to finish the plan he’d started six years ago; they were in District 13, safe.

Alex had her father again, but her father had been through hell and back and lost everything. They weren’t in 12 anymore, but the only thing that mattered was that he had his family back by his side.

And he was home again, safe and sound.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> here's the link again for all the one-shots i'm (hopefully) gonna write, in case you missed it :) https://bit.ly/2ILkJpJ


End file.
